This is my recipe for Frikadellen - my mom does them differently, as did my grandma. But they are pretty good and are what my family likes to eat. It is worthwhile to note that this version is meant to be eaten cold. It is also good when eaten warm, but I would aim for a slightly denser mouthfeel (and thus reduce the amount of egg and probably add milk).
I aim for 2% salt in the mixture. To add complexity to the salty taste, I vary the salt source. Table salt, bouillon powder, fish sauce can be used interchangeably, so no need for following below mix exactly (I am a bit OCD about this). Frikadellen have a faint, yet complex background taste. You can use a pinch of the mix I suggested in my Köttbullar recipe, or curry powder, a mixture of paprika, pepper and dried herbs … Feel free to experiment.
Ingredients:
500 g of minced meat, not too lean. I like to use half beef, half pork. Pure pork is great too.
2 eggs
40 g of bread crumbs (Panko is ok, too)
30 g of fried onion (the IKEA type)
13 g of salt (for example compromised of 7 g of table salt, 6 g of bouillon powder (66% salt) and 8 g fish sauce (25% salt))
1 garlic clove, grated or dried garlic to taste
maybe a teaspoon of “background spice mix”, as described above. If you don’t want to experiment, use 1/3 paprika, 1/3 black pepper and 1/3 parsley.
Method:
Mix all the ingredients throughly - it will feel too soft initially, but will firm up after some time. Let stand for about 30 min or refrigerate until ready to cook.
Form patties of about 50 g each. Either fry gently in batches (ideally in clarified butter) until done or cook in a convection oven at 225 oC for about 12 min. It should be nicely browned.
To be enjoyed with … anything you like. Mustard, ketchup, in a sandwhich - the world is your oyster. And a beer. Better lots of beers. And also after a lot of beers 🤗
